_FIRST MEETING OF SAMUEL AND SAUL._
1 SAMUEL ix. 15-27.
The meeting between Samuel and Saul was preceded by previous meetings
between Samuel and God. God had prepared the prophet for his visit from
the future king of Israel, and the first thing brought before us in
these verses is the communication on this subject which had been made to
the prophet a day before.
It is very interesting to observe how readily Samuel still lends himself
for any service he can render on behalf of his people, under the new
arrangement that God had permitted for their government. We have seen
how mortified Samuel was at first, when the people came to him with
their request for a king. He took it as a personal affront, as well as a
grave public error. Conscious as he was of having done his duty
faithfully, and of having rendered high service to the nation, and
reposing calmly, as he probably was, on the expectation that at least
for some time to come, Israel would move forward peacefully and happily
on the lines which he had drawn for them, it must have been a staggering
blow when they came to him and asked him to overturn all that he had
done, and make them a king. It must have been one of those bewildering
moments when one's whole life appears lost, and all one's dearest hopes
and hardest labours lie shattered, like the fragments of a potter's
vessel. We have seen how, in that sad moment, Samuel carried his sorrows
to the Lord, and learning thus to view the whole matter from God's point
of view, how he came to make comparatively little account of his own
disappointment, and to think only how he could still serve the cause of
God, how he could still help the people, how he could prevent the vessel
which he was no longer to steer from dashing against the hidden rocks he
saw so clearly ahead. It is impossible not to be struck with the beauty
and purity of Samuel's character in this mode of action.
How many a good man takes offence when slighted or superseded by some
committee or other body, in connection with a political, social, or
religious cause which he has tried to help! If they won't have me, he
says, let them do without me. If they won't allow me to carry out the
course which I have followed, and which has been undoubtedly highly
beneficial, I'll have nothing more to do with them. He sulks in his tent
like Achilles, or goes over to the enemy like Coriolanus. Not so Samuel!
His love for the people is too deep to allow of such a course. They have
behaved badly to him, but notwithstanding he will not leave them. Like
an injured but loving wife, who labours with every art of patient
affection to reclaim the husband that has abused her and broken her
heart; like a long-suffering father, who attends with his own hands to
the neglected work of his dissipated son, to save him if possible from
the consequences of his folly--Samuel overlooks his personal slight, and
bears with the public folly of the people, in the endeavour to be of
some use to them in the important stage of their history on which they
are entering. He receives Divine communications respecting the man who
is to supersede him in the government of the people, and instead of
jealousy and dislike, shows every readiness to help him. It is
refreshing to find such tokens of magnanimity and disinterestedness.
However paltry human nature may be in itself, it can become very noble
when rehabilitated by the Spirit of God. Need we ask which is the nobler
course? You feel that you have not been treated perhaps by your church
with sufficient consideration. You fret, you complain, you stay away
from church, you pour your grievance into every open ear. Would Samuel
have done so? Is not your conduct the very reverse of his? Side by side
with his, must not yours be pronounced poor and paltry? Have you not
need to study the thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians, and when you read
of the charity that "beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth
all things, endureth all things," ask yourselves whether it might not be
said of you that you have neither part nor lot in this matter?
The communication that God had made to Samuel was, that on the following
day He would send to him the man whom he was to anoint as captain over
Israel, that he might save them from the Philistines; for He had looked
upon His people, because their cry was come up to Him. There is an
apparent inconsistency here with what is said elsewhere. In chap. viii.
13 it is said, that "the Philistines came no more into the coast of
Israel, and that the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all
the days of Samuel." But probably "all the days of Samuel" mean only the
days when he exerted himself actively against them. As long as Samuel
watched and checked them, they were kept in restraint; but when he
ceased to do so, they resumed their active hostility. The concluding
verses of chap. xiii. (19-23) show that in Saul's time the Philistine
oppression had become so galling that the very smiths had been removed
from the land of Israel, and there was no right provision even for
sharpening ploughshares, or coulters, or axes, or mattocks. Undoubtedly
Saul removed this oppression for a time, and David's elegy shows how
beneficial his reign was in some other ways, although the last act of
his life was an encounter with the Philistines in which he was utterly
defeated. It is evident that before Saul's time the tyranny of their
foes had been very galling to the Israelites. The words of God, "their
cry is come up to Me," indicate quietly a very terrible state of
distress. They carry us back to the words uttered at the burning bush,
"I have seen, I have seen the affliction of My people which are in
Egypt, have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know
their sorrows." God speaks after the manner of men. He needs no cry to
come into His ears to tell Him of the woes of the oppressed.
Nevertheless He seems to wait till that cry is raised, till the appeal
is made to Him, till the consciousness of utter helplessness sends men
to His footstool. And a very blessed truth it is, that He sympathizes
with the cry of the oppressed. There is much meaning in the simple
expression--"their cry is come up to Me." It denotes a very tender
sympathy, a concern for all that they have been suffering, and a
resolution to interpose on their behalf. God is never impassive nor
indifferent to the sorrows and sufferings of His people. All are
designed to serve as chastenings with a view to ultimate good. The eye
of God is ever watching to see whether the chastening is sufficient,
and when it is so, to stop the suffering. In the Inquisitor's chamber,
the eye of God was ever on the boot and the thumbscrew, on the knife and
the pincers, on the furnace and all the other instruments of torture. In
the sick room, He watches the spent and struggling patient, knows every
paroxysm of pain, knows all the restlessness and tossing of the weary
night. He understands the anguish of the loving heart when one after
another of its treasures is torn away. He knows the unutterable distress
when a child's misconduct brings down grey heirs with sorrow to the
grave. Appearances may be all the other way, but "the Lord God is
merciful and gracious, slow to anger and of great compassion." The night
may be long and weary, but the dawn comes at the appointed time. "Ye
have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord,
that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy."
But now Samuel and Saul have met. Saul is as unfamiliar with Samuel's
appearance as with his name; he goes up to him and asks where the seer's
house is. "I am the seer," replies Samuel; but at the moment Samuel was
not at liberty, and could not converse with Saul. He invites him to go
up with him to the high place, and take part in the religious service.
Then he invites him to the feast that was to follow the sacrifice. Next
day he is to deal with him as a prophet, making important communications
to him. But in regard to the matter which occupies him at the moment,
his father's asses, he need trouble himself no more on that head, for
the asses are found. Then he gives Saul a hint of what is coming. He
makes an announcement to him that he and his father's house are the
objects of the whole desire of Israel. It is not very apparent whether
or not Saul had any inkling of the meaning of this remark. It may be
that he viewed it as a mere expression of politeness, savouring of the
customary exaggeration of the East. At all events, his answer was
couched in those terms of extravagant humility which was likewise matter
of Eastern custom. "Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes
of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of
Benjamin? Wherefore then speakest thou so to me?"
The sacrifice next engages the attention of all. Samuel's first meeting
with Saul takes place over the symbol of expiation, over the sacrifice
that shows man to be a sinner, and declares that without shedding of
blood there is no remission of sin. No doubt the circumstance was very
impressive to Samuel, and would be turned to its proper use in
subsequent conversation with Saul, whether Saul entered into the spirit
of it or not. If it be asked, How could a sacrifice take place on the
height of this city, whereas God had commanded that only in the place
which He was to choose should such rites be performed?--the answer is,
that at that time Shiloh lay in ruins, and Mount Zion was still in the
possession of the Jebusites. The final arrangements had not yet been
made for the Hebrew ceremonial, and in the present provisional and
unsettled state of things, sacrifices were not limited to a single
place.
After the sacrifice, came the feast. It was now that Samuel began to
give more explicit hints to Saul of the dignity to which he was to be
raised. The feast was held in "the parlour"--a room adjacent to the
place of sacrifice, to which Samuel had invited a large company--thirty
of the chief inhabitants of the town. First Saul and his servant are
complimented by having the place of honour assigned to them. Then they
are honoured by having a portion set before them which had been
specially set apart for them the day before. The speech concerning this
portion in ver. 24 is somewhat obscure if it be regarded as a speech of
Samuel's. It seems more natural to regard it as a speech of the cook's.
It will be observed that the word "Samuel" in the middle of the verse is
in italics, showing that it is not in the Hebrew, so that it is more
natural to regard the clause as having "the cook" for its nominative,
and indeed this talk about the portion is more suitable for the cook
than for Samuel. Servants were not forbidden to speak during
entertainments; nor did their masters disdain even to have serious
conversation with them (see Nehemiah ii. 2-8). There is another
correction of the Authorized Version that needs to be made. At the end
of ver. 24 the words "Since I said" are not a literal rendering. The
original is simply the word which is constantly rendered _saying_. It
has been suggested ("Speaker's Commentary") that a word or two should be
supplied to make the sense complete, and the verse would then
run:--"unto this time hath it been kept for thee [against the festival
of which Samuel spake], saying, I have invited the people." The part
thus reserved was the shoulder and its appurtenances. Why this part was
regarded as more honourable than any other, we do not know, nor is it of
any moment; the point of importance being, first, that by Samuel's
express instructions it had been reserved for Saul, and second, that
these instructions had been given as soon as Samuel made arrangements
for the feast. To honour Saul as the destined king of Israel was
Samuel's unhesitating purpose. Some men might have said, It will be
time enough to show this mark of respect when the man is actually chosen
king. Had there been the slightest feeling of grudge in the mind of
Samuel, this is what he would have thought. But instead of grudging Saul
his new dignity, he is forward to acknowledge it. There shall be no
holding back on his part of honour for the man whom the Lord delighted
to honour.
If the words of ver. 24 were really spoken by the cook, they must have
added a new element of surprise and impression to Saul. It was apparent
that he had been expected to this feast. The cook had been warned that a
man of consequence was coming, and had therefore set apart that portion
to him. Saul must have felt both that a supernatural power had been at
work, and that some strange destiny--possibly the royal dignity--was in
reserve for him. To us, pondering the circumstances, what is most
striking is, the wonderful way in which the fixed purpose of God is
accomplished, while all the agents in the matter remain perfectly free.
That Saul and his servant should be present with Samuel at that feast,
was the fixed decree of heaven. But it was brought about quite
naturally. There was no constraint on the mind of Saul's servant, when,
being in the land of Zuph, he proposed that they should go into the
city, and try to make inquiry of the man of God. There was no constraint
on the damsels when at a certain time they went down to the fountain for
water, and on their way met Saul and his servant. There was no
constraint on Saul and his servant, save that created by common sense,
when they quickened their pace in order to meet Samuel on the way to the
sacrifice. Every one of these events fell out freely and naturally. Yet
all were necessary links in the chain of God's purposes. From God's
point of view they were necessary, from man's point of view they were
casual. Thus necessity and freedom harmonized together, as they always
do in the plans and operations of God. It is absurd to say that the
predestination of God takes away the liberty of man. It is unreasonable
to suppose that because God has predestinated all events, we need not
take any step in the matter of our salvation. Such an idea is founded on
an utter misunderstanding of the relation in which God has placed us to
Him. It overlooks the great truth, that God's ways are not our ways, nor
His thoughts our thoughts. The relation of the Infinite Will to the
wills of finite creatures is a mystery we cannot fathom; but the effect
on us should be to impel us to seek that our will may ever be in harmony
with God's, and that thus the petition in the Lord's prayer may be
fulfilled, "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."
The feast is over; Samuel and Saul return to the city, and there, on the
housetop, they commune together. The twenty-sixth verse seems to narrate
in detail what is summarily contained in the twenty-fifth. After
returning from the sacrifice and the feast, they seem to have committed
themselves to rest. In the early morning, about daybreak, they had their
conversation on the housetop, and thereafter Samuel sent Saul away,
convoying him part of the road. What the conversation on the housetop
was, we are not told; but we have no difficulty in conjecturing. Samuel
could not but communicate to Saul the treasured thoughts of his lifetime
regarding the way to govern Israel. He must have recalled to him God's
purpose regarding His people, beginning with the call of Abraham,
dwelling on the deliverance from Egypt, and touching on the history of
the several judges, and the lessons to be derived from each. We may
fancy the fervour with which he would urge on Saul, that the one thing
most essential for the prosperity of the nation--the one thing which
those in power ought continually to watch and aim at, was, loyalty by
the people to their heavenly King, and the faithful observance of His
law and covenant. He would dwell emphatically on the many instances in
which neglect of the covenant had brought disaster and misery, and on
the wonderful change in their outward circumstances which had come with
every return of fidelity to their King. Granted, they were soon to have
a king. They were to change their form of government, and be like the
rest of the nations. But if they changed their form of government, they
were not to surrender the palladium of their nation, they were not to
abandon their "gloria et tutamen." The new king would be tempted like
all the kings around him to regard his own will as his only rule of
action, and to fall in with the prevalent notion, that kings were above
the law, because the king's will was the law, and nothing could be
higher than that. What an infinite calamity it would be to himself and
to the nation, if the new king of Israel were to fall into such a
delusion! Yes, the king _was_ above the law, and the king's will _was_
the law; but it was the King of kings alone who had this prerogative,
and woe to the earthly ruler that dared to climb into His throne, and
take into his puny hands the sceptre of the Omnipotent!
Such, we may well believe, was the tenor of that first meeting of Samuel
and Saul. We cannot but carry forward our thoughts a little, and think
what was the last. The last meeting was at Endor, where in darkness and
utter despair, the king of Israel had thought of his early friend, had
perhaps recalled his gentle kindness on this first occasion of their
meeting, and wondered whether he might not be able and willing to throw
some light once more upon his path. But alas, the day of merciful
visitation was gone. The first conversation was in the brightness of
early morning; the last in midnight gloom. The time of day was
appropriate for each. On that sepulchral night, the worst evils that he
had dreaded, and against which he had doubtless warned him on that
housetop, had come to pass. Self-willed and regardless of God, Saul had
taken his own course, and brought his people to the very verge of ruin.
Differing, _toto coelo_, from Samuel in his treatment of his
successor, he had hunted David like a partridge on the mountains, and
stormed against the man who was to bring back to the nation the
blessings of which he had robbed it. Brought to bay at last by his
recklessness and passion, he could only reap the fruit of what he had
sown; "for God is not mocked; they that sow to the flesh shall of the
flesh reap corruption, and they that sow to the Spirit shall, of the
Spirit, reap life everlasting." Again there was to ring out the great
law of the kingdom,--"Them that honour Me, I will honour; while they
that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed."
The good words of Samuel fell not into good ground. He had not in Saul a
congenial hearer. Saul was too worldly a man to care for, or appreciate
spiritual things. Alas, how often for a similar reason, the best words
of the best men fail of their purpose! But how is this ever to be cured?
How is the uncongenial heart to become a fit bed for the good seed of
the Kingdom? I own, it is a most difficult thing. Those who are
afflicted with indifference to spiritual truth will not seek a remedy,
because the very essence of their malady is that they do not care. But
surely their Christian friends and relatives, and all interested in
their welfare, will care very much. Have you such persons--persons whose
worldly hearts show no sympathy with Divine truth--among your
acquaintances or in your families? Persons so steeped in worldliness
that the strongest statements of saving truth are as much lost upon them
as grains of the best wheat would be lost if sown in a heap of sand? O
how should you be earnest for such in prayer; there is a remedy, and
there is a Physician able to apply it; the Spirit of God if appealed to,
can repeat the process that was so effectual at Philippi, when "the Lord
opened the heart of Lydia, that she _attended_ to the things that were
spoken by Paul." "If ye then that are evil know how to give good things
unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven
give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him."